Different types of airbag covers are currently known which incorporate an emblem generally consisting of the logotype of the vehicle manufacturer, aiding in identifying its brand image.
In one of these types, which include the proposals described in patent applications US 2004/0174002, GB 2 403 693, DE 10148279 and DE 10 2004 046 866, the airbag cover is made of a soft plastic, the emblem is also made of a soft plastic and the perforation line of the cover traverses the emblem.
In another one of these types, the airbag cover is made of a soft plastic, the emblem is made of a hard plastic usually with special coating providing it with a metallic appearance, and the perforation line is arranged surrounding the emblem so as to not traverse it.
The fixing of the emblem to the airbag cover can be done in several manners.
One of them is the fixing by means of welding, for example by means of ultrasonic welding. The problems involved with this type of fixing include those relating to complying with the welding quality requirements and to the suitable maintenance of the equipment used.
Another one of these fixings is fixing the emblem to the cover using snap-fitting means. This type of fixing has the drawback that the snap-fitting plate confers excessive rigidity to the emblem-cover-snap-fitting plate assembly during the opening of the cover at the time of airbag deployment, making it difficult for the emblem to follow the bending of the cover, possibly causing it to break with the subsequent risk for the vehicle occupant.
As described in patent document U.S. Pat. No. 5,775,721, this drawback can be solved for the case of one-part emblems using a snap-fitting plate provided with holes or other means facilitating its deformation during the opening of the airbag cover, absorbing part of the energy generated and preventing the emblem from breaking.
However, this solution is not applicable to emblems formed by two or more parts and the present invention is aimed at providing a solution for this case.